TMD: Cannabis Treatment Shows Fast Results
With just four days using cannabis oil, a 79-year-old patient saw improvement in symptoms and stopped using the bruxism splint
Published on 09/10/2021
By Jacqueline Passos
Despite the unusual name, TMD or Temporomandibular Dysfunction is more common than one might think and is another disorder being treated with cannabis by dentists. Who hasn't felt their jaw popping, jaw locking, or heard someone they know suffering from this condition? When this situation starts to happen frequently and causes pain, it is likely that the diagnosis is TMD.
Medicinal cannabis was the reason for the quick results in treatment
It was because of TMD that Dr. Cynthia De Carlo, a dentist, had her first experience prescribing cannabis. The 79-year-old patient exhibited some behaviors that generate anxiety, phobia, lack of muscle relaxation, among others. After the TMD diagnosis, the dentist started the cannabis treatment and the speed of the positive results surprised her. “On the third or fourth day of using cannabis (medicinal), she stopped using the splint for bruxism,” she says.
Throughout the patient's conventional treatment, which has been going on for over four years, several silicone and acrylic splints had already been replaced due to wear or even holes, such was the pressure exerted by the jaw. And the pain persisted. Even with this situation, the patient did not use opioids. However, when the teeth grinding became too intense, she resorted to anti-inflammatories. “The clenching (of the teeth) was so strong that it would burst the root and cause tooth breakage,” she recalls.
Cynthia mentions that when she mentioned to the patient the possibility of trying medicinal Cannabis, she was not sure how her reaction would be. This is because, in addition to the misinformation surrounding the topic, there is the financial aspect of funding the medication as it is a relatively expensive product.
“She agreed immediately to try the experience because she had already read about the subject. That thing (that spreads) from neighbor to neighbor. She said she knew someone who had brought (the medication from) Chile to treat back pain.”
Dr. Cynthia De Carlo
About the treatment
The treatment is being done with a full spectrum oil from the brand Carmen’s Medicinals with 1500 mg/ml, with a 1:1 ratio of CBD and THC. The average monthly cost of the medication, including transportation expenses, is below R$ 500. “The coolest thing is to notice this evolution in a patient who used a splint, burst the root (of the tooth), and three days after starting the treatment says she is waking up more energized and feeling well.
She evaluates that the cost-benefit of Cannabis treatment is rewarding due to being a therapy that solves the problem. “(Some of them) are patients who constantly used a splint, had the splint burst, the situation was resolved for a period, and then the problem returned. These are cases of recurrence, and there comes a point where the patient ends up getting tired because they have already had to make numerous splints and then start to reflect on the cost they are incurring. Because nothing is cheap in Dentistry.”
Many of the cases treated in dental offices have external aggravating factors
According to the dentist, about 80% of the population suffers from so-called awake bruxism, which is often not perceived by people and is much more serious than sleep bruxism. This disorder occurs, for example, when a person bites a pen while talking or engages in similar behavior.
Approximately 50% of patients treated by Cynthia present problems related to nervousness, anxiety, and pain. The success of the first medicinal Cannabis treatment led her to continue prescribing the substance, as many patients have a phobia of conventional treatment, feel unwell during sessions, among other aggravating factors. “Some (patients) even break out in a cold sweat (during the consultation),” she says. Today, the dentist has been prescribing medicinal cannabis for 2 years for patients with bruxism, TMD, and other conditions related to chronic pain.
TMD is the subject of the next Sechat Live
Next Tuesday (14), the guest on Sechat Live is the cannabis-prescribing dentist Cynthia De Carlo, who is also part of the CECMEDIC (Center of Excellence in Cannabinoids) team and is a member of SBEC (Brazilian Society of Cannabis Studies). In addition to TMD, other topics related to dentistry and cannabis will be discussed. Don't miss it! The chat takes place on the profile of @sechat_oficial on Instagram at 7 p.m.